


A Mother's Hope

by darkangel86



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Boys In Love, Communication, Crying, Endgame Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Family Feels, Getting Back Together, Good Parent Maryse Lightwood, Happy Ending, M/M, Maryse Lightwood Is A Good Mother, Sad Alec, Sad Magnus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-06
Updated: 2017-08-06
Packaged: 2018-12-11 23:57:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11725257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darkangel86/pseuds/darkangel86
Summary: “What if-” Magnus started, choking up as he spoke. “What if its too late? What if he hates me? What if I messed things up too bad? Maybe this isn't fixable. Maybe I've ruined the best thing that's ever happened to me.” Tears welled up in Magnus' eyes and Maryse didn't hesitate. She gathered him in her arms, holding him tightly as she tried to reassure him he hadn't done any of the things he was suddenly so worried about.





	A Mother's Hope

**Author's Note:**

> Sequel to A Mother's Love.
> 
> You all asked for it. Hopefully I delivered.

Stepping out of the portal into a very familiar hallway in the Institute Magnus seized up.

“Magnus?” Maryse asked, confused as she watched him freeze just outside of Alec's office door. Magnus turned abruptly, eyes wide with fear and Maryse moved closer to him. “Magnus, what's wrong?” She asked, worried.

“What if-” Magnus started, choking up as he spoke. “What if its too late? What if he hates me? What if I messed things up too bad? Maybe this isn't fixable. Maybe I've ruined the best thing that's ever happened to me.” Tears welled up in Magnus' eyes and Maryse didn't hesitate. She gathered him in her arms, holding him tightly as she tried to reassure him he hadn't done any of the things he was suddenly so worried about.

“I promise you, Magnus, I promise that Alec doesn't hate you. He could never hate you. Yes, he's hurt, just as you are but hate? Its not in Alec to hate you. For anything.” Maryse said softly as she spoke.

“Maybe he doesn't hate me but it would only make sense that he's angry. I, I hurt him. I said I couldn't protect my people, my family, with him around. Maryse, he _is_ my family! Why would I say that to him? I don't understand what I was thinking.” Magnus said sadly as he sagged a little further into Maryse's embrace. It felt nice. Warm. Comforting. All the things he'd never associated with Maryse Lightwood before.

“You're in a position you've never been in before, darling,” Maryse said as she maneuvered Magnus back so that she could look at him while she spoke. “You reacted on instinct, to protect the only thing you've ever had to protect before. Its understandable that you would make the decision you made. No one can fault you for it.”

“Alexander can.” Magnus whispered, his gaze dropping to the floor.

“He could. But I know my son. He won't. I'm sure he already understands more than you're giving him credit for. He isn't just a pretty face, you know.” Maryse said with a grin and despite how he felt Magnus had to smile at that.

“I still don't entirely understand why you're being so understanding about all this. I hurt your son. You said yourself it was bad enough that he's reverted back to his former closed off self. You have every right to hate me.” Magnus sounded more defeated that Maryse had ever heard him sound before and something in her twisted. It just wasn't right.

“I've already told you once. You're family now, Magnus and being a part of the Lightwood family means that we take care of one another.” Maryse explained.

“Its possible that Alexander doesn't feel that way. Not anymore.” Magnus felt tears begin to well up in his eyes once more and this time he fell easily into Maryse's arms, holding onto her for dear life.

“Sweetheart. Please. I promise you, I promise, Alec doesn't hate you. He's not going to turn you away. You and he need to talk, you need to help him understand why you did what you did and listen to him while he explains why he did what he did. Above everything, you need to listen to each other.” Maryse spoke softly as she continued to hold this man her son loved so much. He might have been a four hundred year old warlock but he was still so young in so many ways. Maryse wanted to help him. She wanted to protect him, just like she wanted to protect the rest of her children.

“Thank you.” Magnus whispered. “Thank you for caring enough to check on me, to see if I was okay and to spend the evening with me. Just being able to talk about everything that's happened, I needed that. I didn't expect help to arrive in the form of Maryse Lightwood but I'm glad it did.” He finished as he pulled away, smiling at this woman, a woman he'd never expected to care.

“I'm a mom. Its what I do.” Maryse said with a smile, a stray tear escaping her eye and rolling down her cheek.

“Your children are blessed to have someone like you in their lives.” Magnus said sadly and Maryse felt her heart break a little more. She didn't know what had happened to his mother, only that she'd died at a very early age. It was plain to see that Magnus hadn't felt a mother's touch in more years that should be physically possible.

“I hope they feel that way. But after the way I've acted, the way I've treated them recently? Its a miracle in and of itself they don't hate me.” Maryse sighed, turning her head and looking away.

“You are a good person, Maryse. You haven't always done good things but you are a good person. You've learned from your mistakes and you're trying to do better for your children's sake. There is no better example than you coming to my home tonight and kicking my ass into gear. I needed it. I guess I just-” And Magnus stopped, eyes widening in surprise and a touch of fear before he finished. “-I needed a mother's love.”

“Well.” Maryse said, clearing her throat and trying to make the lump that had formed in her throat disappear. “Then you understand. I am always here for my children.” She said as she brushed a fallen lock of hair out of Magnus' eyes.

“I do. Alexander is lucky to have you.” Magnus said, offering her a small sad smile.

“My children, Magnus, aren't all mine by blood. They don't have to be for me to love them.” Maryse said, waiting for Magnus to understand exactly what she meant. Fortunately, it didn't take long.

“Maryse.” Magnus said, breathing harshly. “A month ago you hated me.”

“A month ago I didn't know you. A month ago I hadn't seen the type of man Alec was becoming, partly in cause of you. A month ago, a month ago I was still blinded by lifelong prejudices. A month ago I accepted the fact that my husband didn't love me anymore and that changes a person, Magnus. I've spent my entire life loving Robert and working to keep our name in good standing with the Clave and he, he ruined everything because he fell out of love with me. I let that happen and Magnus, I won't stand by and let that happen to you and Alec. I know how much my son loves you and I can see, very clearly, that you love him just as much. I need you both to fight for that love. You have to fight for it, every day of your lives if it means keeping one another.” Maryse was openly crying now and this time Magnus gathered her into his arms, holding her and hugging her tightly.

“If I hadn't heard it for myself, I'm not sure I would have believed any of this.” Alec's voice startled Magnus and Maryse apart, both wide eyed like they'd been caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

“Alec, I-” Maryse started, unsure of what exactly Alec had heard. Beside her Magnus stood frozen, not sure how to react.

“I would say that I didn't think you two even liked each other, let alone had moved far enough in your relationship to where you were hugging but seeing it with my own eyes, and hearing what you both just had to say. I don't. I still don't understand what's happened to shift such a change.” Alec said plainly as he eyed his mother, not yet daring to look at Magnus.

“You were hurting, Alec, and I knew I had to do something. So, I went to see Magnus,” Maryse said, reaching out beside of her and grasping the warlock's hand, pulling him closer. “I went to see how he was fairing and found him under a pile of blankets on his sofa. He was miserable.” She stated and Magnus scoffed.

“It was one blanket.” Magnus mumbled, adverting his eyes from either Lightwood.

“He was wearing one of your shirts!” Maryse stressed and Magnus jerked his hand out of her grasp.

“ _You traitor_!” Magnus hissed, eyes narrowing at her.

“You will thank me when all of this is over and you're back with my son!” Maryse snapped. “Now, you two need to talk. At length. I am tired of seeing you mope around the Institute acting like your world has ended.”

“It did. It ended the second Magnus walked away from me.” Alec admitted, finally risking a glance up at the man in question.

Magnus opened his mouth to reply but Maryse stopped him.

“The hallway is not the place for this conversation. Take it in the office. You're off duty until further notice, Alec, so I expect the next time I see you both, things are as they should be. Now, go. Talk. Be honest. Fix this.” Maryse urged as she ushered both bewildered men into Alec's office.

“Maryse-” Magnus started, wide eyed and fearful once more.

“I swear to you, Magnus Bane, he does not hate you. Just be honest and talk to him. Angels help me but you really do need to kiss and make up with my son.” Maryse said with a smirk.

“Mother!” Alec exclaimed, his own eyes wide and full of disbelief. 

“You hush. Now, you're going to let Magnus explain himself and then you're going to do the exact same thing. You can not have a proper healthy relationship without communication. Maybe its a foreign concept for you both, sharing what's really going on in your heads but to make this work, you have to communicate. No lies, no secrets. Total honesty. And yes I know, Alec, that's the exact opposite of how your father and I raised you but its been obvious for quite a while that you don't adhere to everything we tried to instill in you.” Maryse smirked, laughing to herself quietly when Alec's cheeks flushed a light pink.

“Maryse Lightwood, _you are a menace_!” Magnus hissed which only made Maryse laugh a little harder.

“I am a mother, dear. Its what I do.” Maryse stated with a smirk before she turned to leave. “Fix. This.” She instructed them as she pulled the door closed behind her.

Left alone in the office, neither Magnus nor Alec spoke for the next few minutes. Neither of them exactly sure where to start.

“I don't hate you.” Alec finally said, breaking the silence and Magnus startled.

“Excuse me?” He asked, needing to hear Alec say it again.

“I don't hate you, Magnus. Its not, I don't have it in me to hate you. Its not something I'm physically capable of.” Alec explained.

“I shouldn't have walked away from you like I did. I made a mistake. I, I was scared. Put into a situation I've never found myself in before. Alexander, I am over four hundred years old and this, all of this that is happening with us, its completely new to me. I reacted badly and I hurt you. You have no idea how sorry I am.” Magnus admitted as truthfully as he could. He didn't know what else to do. Because Maryse was right. They needed to be honest with each other. No matter if it hurt, or how hard it was. The truth was the only way his relationship was Alec was going to work.

“I'm sorry. For lying about the Soul Sword. I really had only just found out about it a couple of days before you did and I spent those days agonizing over whether or not to tell you. I made a mistake by ever having to think about telling you about it. And I'm, I am sorry for that. You had every right to know. Of course you did.” Alec said hurriedly, slight panic in his voice.

“I didn't realize,” Magnus started carefully, knowing he needed to say exactly the right thing so there was no way Alec misunderstood him. “I didn't realize that when I was trying to figure out how to choose between my people, _my family_ , that I should have been including you into that category, Alexander, not separating you from it.”

“Magnus...” Alec said breathlessly, his eyes unbelievably wide and so full of hope that it took Magnus' own breath away.

“I don't need to make a decision on how best to protect my people and still stay loyal to you because you are a part of me now. You are, Alexander, you are my family. You are. You are the love of my life. I walked away from you because that scared me to death. I knew it a week ago. I knew it a month ago. I knew it the first time you stepped foot in my loft, that damned innocent little grin on your face. I knew we could be something magnificent and we are-” Magnus stepped forward, immediately grasping Alec's hands in his own. “We are amazing together, Alexander. In more ways than one. I don't need to choose is what I'm saying because there's nothing to choose between. You are a part of me now. You are half of my heart. How could I ever think I was meant to walk away from that? From you?” Magnus asked, tears streaming down his cheeks.

“I never.” Alec started, scowling in frustration when the words he wanted to say didn't seem to want to come as easily as they should. “I put you in a position I never meant to put you it. I'm ashamed to say it never even crossed my mind. I. I've always put all my faith in the Clave. I don't know how not to automatically trust them. But I want. No, I need to learn how not to, I need you to help me learn to put my faith and my trust in someone else and I want that person to be you.”

“I trust you with my life, Alexander. If you, if you think you can trust me that, that deeply-” Magnus started.

“I already do!” Alec interrupted frantically. “I don't need time to learn how to trust you like that because I already do. I have since that first night I fell asleep in your apartment. I told you then that I didn't know why I trusted you but it was a lie. Even then I knew. You told me I'd unlocked something in you. What I didn't tell you was that you'd done the same for me. No matter how hard I fought it, I was drawn to you in a way that scared the life out of me. It terrified me. You terrified me. Because you? You were everything I'd always been afraid of being. Open, loud, you didn't care what you said to who. It didn't matter if someone liked you or not. You didn't care what people said about you or what they thought about you. Those are my worst fears. What people think of me. No. Those were my worst fears. The thing that scares me the most now? Is losing you. I can't do it, Magnus. I can not lose you. I can't let you walk away from me like that again. I didn't know it could hurt like that.” Alec admitted, shaking his head in an attempt to stop the tears in his eyes from falling.

“I can not believe I am going to say this but, Maryse was right.” Magnus admitted with a scowl. “We needed to talk things out instead of jumping to conclusions. But we can't hide things from one another anymore, Alexander. If you want this to work, we need to be completely open and honest about things. Whether we like it, or want to, we need to. Can. Can we do that?” He asked, hopeful.

“I will do anything. Magnus. Anything to keep you in my life.” Alec said fiercely.

“Then I am sorry, Alexander, for walking away from you the way I did. It was rash and I wasn't thinking straight. I was hurt and angry, yes at you but also at myself. Still. That didn't mean I had to walk away from the one good thing in my life.” This time Magnus smiled as he spoke.

“I'm sorry for lying. For not telling you as soon as I found out about the Soul Sword. It was wrong. You deserved to know and I won't. I promise I won't keep something that important from you again.” Alec swore.

“I love you.” Magnus said, without hesitation. “I love you so much, Alexander.”

Grasping Magnus' face with both hands, Alec leaned in and pressed their lips together in a kiss that stole the breath right out of his lungs. The past week had been the longest of his life. Everything about it had been wrong. It was like the world had shifted, just slightly out of balance and Alec hadn't been able to get his head on straight since. Since the elevator doors had closed on the broken look on Magnus' face. But here. Now. With his lips moving against the Magnus', Alec could feel the world right itself. Everything shifted back into place and suddenly Alec could breathe again. He couldn't help it. He laughed against Magnus' lips, breaking their kiss and resting his forehead against Magnus' own.

“What?” Magnus asked and Alec noted that he sounded just as breathless as Alec felt.

“This is the, the most right I've felt all week. Does that. I mean, does that even make sense?” Alec asked, leaning into Magnus' hold.

“It makes perfect sense, Alexander.” Magnus replied, smiling an absolutely brilliant smile that did nothing to help the breathlessness that he was already dealing with.

“We're going to be alright, aren't we?” Alec asked, a little timidly but he was smiling nonetheless.

“We're going to be fine, darling. If for no other reason than because your mother said so.” Magnus said with a teasing grin and Alec couldn't help but laugh.

Leaning against the wall, just outside the door to Alec's office, Maryse smiled. Mission accomplished.

**Author's Note:**

> I am never going to tire of writing Good Parent Maryse Lightwood. Never. <3


End file.
